The Grand Duke turned his gaze away from Lucian and looked at Philip.
Under that icy stare, Philip's body shuddered.
"Y-Your Highness. Please, hear me out. What happened was—"
"Spare me your excuses and shut your mouth. No matter what you say, you are entitled to no respect."
"It's a misunderstanding! Are you saying you won't even hear an explanation like this!? Are you truly prepared to become enemies with House Logran!?"
"Enemies?"
At Philip's words, the Grand Duke let out a scornful snort.
"You still don't understand the situation. I've long since become enemies with that Bernhardt bastard. All that remained was a justification to strike each other. You've provided that justification—now all that's left is to press the attack."
"Pray that Bernhardt doesn't abandon you. If he cuts you loose, you won't just need to worry about your standing within your family—you'll need to worry about your life."
"Your Highness! Your Highness…!"
When the Grand Duke gave a slight nod, the knights standing behind him seized Philip by both shoulders and dragged him away.
Philip shouted wildly as he was hauled off by their rough hands, but no one listened to his pleas.
Soon after, the other knights were dragged off in the same direction as Philip. Having already been humiliated to the utmost, they offered no resistance this time, unlike before.
"Good work. Now let's head inside."
Once everything was settled, the Grand Duke gave Lucian's shoulder a light pat and mounted his horse.
Just before heading back to the lord's manor, a sudden question came to mind, and the Grand Duke turned back to Lucian.
"Come to think of it, why did you single out just one maid and set her aside? Don't tell me…"
"I will explain that once we return."
"Hmm, very well. I suppose you are a man, after all."
At his attitude—like a father deliberately avoiding prying into his child's secrets—Lucian let out a wry smile.
It seemed that once they returned, he would first need to clear up a rather strange misunderstanding.
***
Lucian immediately headed to the study together with the Grand Duke.
They intended to discuss the "reward" the Grand Duke had mentioned earlier.
"I've received a rough report from the Black Lions. You handled the matter cleanly."
"You flatter me. It was only possible thanks to the support you provided, Father."
"Enough with the modesty. Is there anything you want as a reward? As long as it's not excessive, I'll grant it."
"Well…"
At the mention of a reward, Lucian fell briefly into thought.
There was nothing he urgently needed himself, but there was a subordinate he needed to take care of.
"Make Hugo a knight—"
"That won't do."
Before Lucian could even finish speaking, the Grand Duke answered at once, cutting him off.
Unlike before, his tone was utterly firm.
It was the answer Lucian had expected, but he couldn't simply back down like this.
Now that he was a master, he had to do his utmost to keep his promises.
"Hugo has merit."
"But he was the one who conspired with the marquis in the first place to sell the drug. If you hadn't caught on, he would have carried it through to the end."
"That's a hypothetical. And this time, it was Hugo who lured Philip in, and Hugo who provided the location."
"Even so, it's not enough to make him a knight. At the very least, he should have elevated his own honor and established merit that no one could deny. Can you proudly reveal the achievements he made this time in front of others?"
Lucian fell silent.
Indeed, Hugo's accomplishments were not something that could easily be made public.
They were achievements built on the strength and connections he had forged while surviving in the underworld.
"If he wants gold coins, I can give them to him by the chestful. If he wishes, I can even prepare a clean, new identity for him. But he cannot become a knight. Not because of his status, but because the reward would be excessive compared to his merits."
Faced with such irrefutable reasoning, Lucian nodded.
At the very least, he had done all he could as a master.
"Your words are correct, Father. I made an excessive request."
"If you understand, then say what else you want. This time, something not excessive."
"Please allow the maid I brought back to receive training from the Sword Saint."
"…What?"
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected request, the Grand Duke stared at him blankly.
***
The moment Lucian left the Grand Duke's study, he went straight to find Felicia.
He had temporarily confined her at Hugo's place of business, but when Philip and his group were taken into custody, she had been moved to the underground prison as well.
Even so, it was a prison meant for noble captives, so the facilities themselves were quite well appointed.
However, the moment Felicia saw Lucian, she raised a sharp piece of metal to her throat and shouted,
"If you lay a hand on me, I'll end my life right here."
At her sudden outburst, Lucian looked over at Hans beside him.
There was already a jailer present, but Hans had been assigned to keep watch while she was imprisoned, just in case something happened.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"What do you mean, what am I talking about? I mean I won't go along quietly if you're planning to do something despicable to me, young master."
"No—who on earth said that?"
"That's what she thinks. How am I supposed to fix that? And to be honest, even the reason you gave me is a bit…"
Though he trailed off, it was clear that Hans didn't quite believe the reason Lucian had given either.
Well, it wasn't exactly a story even he himself could fully believe.
After letting out a sigh, Lucian looked at Felix—no, Felicia.
"I don't know what kind of misunderstanding you're under, but I have no intention of laying a hand on your body."
"You don't look the least bit convincing."
"Of course not. You singled out a single, worthless maid and locked her away separately—if your goal isn't my body, then what could it be?"
"Swordsmanship."
"…What?"
"Your swordsmanship. How would you like to wield a blade at my side and let that talent bloom to its fullest?"
Felicia's expression turned strange.
Rather than believing him, she seemed to suspect that this was merely a ploy to entice her and keep her close.
Lucian brought out the trump card he had received from the Grand Duke.
"I'll recommend you as a disciple to Sir Aizen, the Sword Saint."
"…What?"
"I've already obtained my father's permission. I've even sent a messenger to Sir Aizen. If you wish, you can go meet the Sword Saint right away. What will you do?"
She wouldn't believe it.
Offering such an opportunity to a mere maid—someone who wasn't even a noble.
And yet, it was bait far too tempting to ignore.
Even suspecting it was a trap, she wouldn't be able to refuse. Anyone who had taught themselves the sword would always feel a deep hunger for a master.
And if that master were a Sword Saint who had reached the pinnacle of the blade, it would be all the more unbearable to turn away.
After a long moment of deliberation, Felicia finally met Lucian's eyes and spoke.
"Are you speaking in earnest?"
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
"At the very least, the odds of this being a lie are higher than it being the truth. Perhaps you're making an attractive offer on the spot just to stop me from harming myself."
"You think I'd go so far as to invoke Sir Aizen just for a maid? Why would I? If that were my aim, simply promising to let you go would have been more than enough."
Faced with an answer she couldn't refute, Felicia bit her lip.
It would be better to die than to be defiled—but that didn't mean she was indifferent to her life.
Even without mentioning the Sword Saint, if he had bargained by promising to let her live freely, she would certainly have wavered.
It was infuriating, but the very fact that he had brought up the Sword Saint before anything else showed his sincerity…
"…Wait a moment. Did I ever say that I wanted to learn the sword?"
Deep in thought, Felicia suddenly felt something was off.
Come to think of it, she had never once said such a thing.
Yet somehow, the conversation had naturally turned into a negotiation centered around swordsmanship.
Normally, no matter how skilled a maid might be with a blade, one would start by offering money when bargaining with her.
"Perhaps you never said it—but it's something I can tell even without words. That's only natural for a swordsman."
"A swordsman? You're saying I'm a swordsman?"
"Am I wrong?"
At his calm question, Felicia was left speechless.
At the same time, she felt something well up inside her.
To be acknowledged not as an impudent half-wit daring to swing a sword despite being a mere maid, but as a true swordsman.
"Will you really introduce me to the Sword Saint?"
Felicia asked in a trembling voice, and Lucian answered with a solemn expression.
"I swear it on the name of Lucian Valdeck."
For a noble to state both his name and family name was to stake not only his own honor, but the honor of his house as well.
In the end, Felicia squeezed her eyes shut and rose to her feet.
Even if it was an unbelievable offer, it was one she wanted to trust—if it came from a man like this.
***
Lucian immediately sent someone to Aizen with a single request.
He informed him that he had found a suitable candidate for a disciple he had mentioned before, and asked him to meet her.
Fortunately, Aizen readily accepted Lucian's proposal.
—The Third Young Master is not one to speak idly. I will meet her.
When he heard that Aizen would come to the training grounds at once, Lucian summoned Hugo and Hans as well and headed there.
Hugo, called on so suddenly, wore a bewildered expression.
He was in the middle of being extremely busy, wrapping up the drug operation that had served its purpose as bait and was now being dismantled.
"Is it really necessary for me to be involved in something like this? Me going won't change anything."
"What's the harm? Think of it as a chance to at least make Sir Aizen's acquaintance."
"No, that's precisely why I don't want to go. How do you think the Sword Saint will look upon someone like me, a former thug?"
"You've turned over a new leaf, so he'll look on you kindly. He's not the sort of person who clings to someone's past when judging them, so relax."
Despite Lucian's words, Hugo still looked uncomfortable, but there was no helping it.
Recommending Felicia as the Sword Saint's disciple effectively meant that, instead of Hugo—the one who had rendered service—some complete outsider would be the one to benefit.
If Felicia failed to properly demonstrate her talent here, even if he didn't voice it, resentment would surely build up.
To truly convince Hugo, Lucian would have to show him that heaven-bestowed talent with his own eyes.
Just as Lucian was leading the group and reached the entrance to the training grounds—
"…Father?"
"You impudent brat. You time your arrival perfectly when meeting Sir Aizen. At least show the courtesy of arriving a little early."
At the Grand Duke's light rebuke, Lucian blinked in surprise.
Why was the Grand Duke here, at the very place where Lucian was to meet Sir Aizen?
"What brings you here?"
"What do you mean, what brings me here? This is about recommending a disciple to the Sword Saint. Did you think I wouldn't be present for something this important?"
That was true enough.
Sword Saint Aizen held immense influence not only within the Empire, but within House Valdeck itself.
As the head of the family, the Grand Duke naturally couldn't help but take an interest in his successor as well.
Still, it was surprising that he would come in person when this wasn't even a formal selection of a disciple, but merely a test.
As Lucian stood there in astonishment, the Grand Duke's gaze shifted to Hugo beside him.
"So you're Hugo. I hear you've earned quite a bit of merit in this affair."
"Y-Your Grace, I pay my respects."
"But if we're to judge purely by merit, the transgressions you committed in the past are no small matter either."
"I—I'm sorry. However, now I—!"
"Lucian knew all of that and still recommended you for knighthood. He said that he didn't need a reward for himself, and that it should be given to you instead."
Hugo's eyes went wide as he stared at Lucian.
Even when Lucian hurriedly gestured for him to turn his gaze away, as if it would be disrespectful, Hugo remained frozen like a statue, unable to move.
Ignoring Hugo's reaction, the Grand Duke continued speaking.
"You may be disappointed, but I refused that request. Not because of your past, but purely because your merits were insufficient. For other rewards, perhaps—but to raise a commoner to knighthood, you fell far short."
"Y-You are a hundred times correct, Your Grace."
"To demand an excessive reward is a dangerous thing that can even diminish one's own evaluation. Your master knew that, and yet still demanded an excessive reward on your behalf. I hope you understand what that means."
Hugo bowed his head deeply, his body trembling in small, restrained motions.
It was as though he were suppressing something that threatened to spill out.
A moment later, Hugo raised his head again and shouted with unwavering eyes.
"What could I possibly give in return? As long as this life of mine remains, I will devote everything to serving him."
"Hmph."
A faint smile played at the corner of the Grand Duke's lips as he snorted.
He pretended to be displeased, but Hugo's answer seemed to satisfy him well enough.
However, that approving gaze quickly cooled the moment it shifted elsewhere.
"So this is her? The maid you intend to recommend as Sir Aizen's disciple?"
"Yes."
"I-I pay my respects to Your Grace—"
"Pathetic."
At the Grand Duke's sudden rebuke, everyone present—including Felicia—froze in place.
Duke Sigmund soon shifted his gaze toward Lucian and spoke.
"Even if your first request was refused, you still had a chance to receive a reward. The right to demand anything you wished, so long as it was not excessive. And yet, you gave up that reward just to earn the right to present a woman like this to Sir Aizen?"
"…!"
"If you believe rewards can always be obtained again, that is nothing but arrogance! You squandered a rare opportunity on something so trivial—there will surely come a day when you regret this!"
Felicia's eyes shook violently.
Though she was not directly involved, she had witnessed the struggle for succession within a marquis's household with her own eyes.
She knew better than most how desperately children fought to gain their father's recognition.
And yet, in the midst of an active succession struggle, Lucian had even kicked away his chance to receive a reward from the Grand Duke just to recommend her.
Lucian, however, did not even blink in the face of his father's rebuke.
"I'm sorry, but that will not happen."
"What did you say?"
"Even if today were the last chance I ever had to ask you for a reward, I would not regret it. Because I used it in the most righteous way possible."
"You truly believe this woman is worth that much?"
"Yes."
The answer left Lucian's lips without the slightest hesitation.
It was not something he said merely to defy his father—his voice carried unmistakable sincerity.
"I don't know what you saw, Father, but all I see is a swordsman blessed by the gods. A peerless genius swordsman, bound by the shackles of status and gender—unable to even breathe freely, despite possessing the potential to cleave the heavens and part the seas."
"Right now, there may be many who cannot understand me, Father. They may mock me behind my back, calling it foolish. But that mockery will one day turn into praise. They will say that Lucian Valdeck was the one who discovered the next Sword Saint, a talent that was on the verge of being buried by history."
As Lucian finished speaking, a single droplet slid down Felicia's cheek.
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